Adam Lyth & T20 season preview
This article first appeared in the Cricketer Paper on
09 June 2024, reporter Guy Williams.
Yorkshire’s main purpose this season is to gain promotion to Division One of the County Championship, but success too is urgently required in white ball cricket. The county’s recent record in List A competitions and the T20 is extraordinarily weak, only one cup final win and that came more than 20 years ago in 2002 in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy (remember that?).
That was a 50 overs’ contest, and Yorkshire’s performances overall in the T20 since it started in 2003, have been surprisingly mediocre, with only one appearance in the final, losing to Hampshire in 2012.
However, according to opening bat Adam Lyth, Yorkshire’s top run scorer in T20 cricket with 3921 runs in more than 150 games and holder of the record individual score in English T20 cricket - 161 against Northamptonshire in 2017, the county can be genuinely optimistic this season.
“ I believe we have a strong team and squad, and having Joe Root available for a few games is wonderful. I think we have an experienced batting line-up. I’ll open with Dawid Malan who is a T20 player of world renown, our skipper Shan Masood is excellent too and has played in a World Cup final, and our South African overseas player, Donovan Ferreira, is a good all-round player.
“ I’ve seen him on television playing for Joburg Super Kings and he’s played in the IPL.Donovan bats and bowls and he keeps wicket. A major player for us is Jordan Thompson. He loves to put on a show and likes the big occasion.
“ Jordan’s a three-dimensional cricketer-a dangerous hitter, a skilful bowler and a magnificent fielder. If we can get on a roll and build some momentum, I genuinely believe we can get to Finals Day. We have injuries to our seam bowlers, but George Hill and Matt Revis are talented all-rounders, and if the skipper and our coach Ottis Gibson want to pick spinners, there’s Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty and then we have a young leggie called Jafer Chohan.
“ Following injuries to the seam bowlers, this is an opportunity for our younger players to stake a claim,” explains Lyth, 36,who made his Yorkshire T20 debut in 2008.
Capped by England in 2015 in series against New Zealand and Australia in which he scored his only Test hundred in seven matches-107 against New Zealand at Headingley-Lyth’s thrilled to be back playing in the T20.
“ I love the excitement and it’s nice to be putting on the coloured clothing again. We get big crowds at Headingley and the atmosphere for evening games, especially against Lancashire, is special.
“ As a young player, I found it difficult to change formats, but now that I am older and more experienced, and with the Vitality Blast being played in blocks, you’ve some time to prepare, so I find it easier to switch from the Championship to the T20,” says the left hander, Professional Cricketers’ Association Player of the Year in 2014 and a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2015.
Success on the field in white ball cricket, particularly in T20 because of the big pay-days at Headingley-crowds of 10,00 plus-is an essential part of solving Yorkshire’s financial crisis off the field, the issue above all else occupying the attention of chairman Colin Graves.
Therefore, Lyth’s contributions and those of Malan(9,000 runs and 331 games in all T20 cricket and top of the ICC rankings in 2020) are so crucial if Yorkshire are to improve and compete again in T20 Finals Day for the first time since 2016.
Lyth’s a proud Yorkshire cricketer, and while he won the County Championship in 2014 and 2015, he’s still to win a white ball trophy-a glaring omission that he’s determined to put right.
Note: Since the story appeared in The Cricketer Paper on Sunday, Adam Lyth has now passed 4,000 runs in T20 cricket.